KARAMARKO: ZUNEC STICKS TO DECISION TO RESIGN AS CHIEF OF HIS

ZAGREB, April 20 (Hina) - The head of the Croatian Intelligence Service (HIS), Ozren Zunec, decided to stick by his previous decision to resign as HIS director at Thursday's session of the HIS conference of department heads. Zunec's resignation should be accepted by Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, Croatian Television (HTV) reported this evening. In a statement for the HTV, the head of the National Security Office (UNS), Tomislav Karamarko, said the reason for Zunec's resignation was differences in the concepts of organisation of the intelligence service and the non-acceptance of Zunec's proposals regarding the appointment of chief HIS officials. "Until he is officially relieved of his duty, Ozren Zunec will hold the office of HIS director. There is no legal deadline within which we should appoint new HIS director, however, we will try to coordinate those deadlines so that the functioning of the service is not affected. A new HIS director will be appointed by the President of the Republic, at my suggestion, and in line with the Law on the UNS of 1995," Karamarko said. Speaking about the circumstances of Zunec's resignation, Karamarko said "there has never really been a misunderstanding, especially not on the personal level which has been imputed by the media lately. Part of the misunderstanding concerned principles regarding the future organisation of the intelligence community - and I would say that part of the misunderstanding was a lesser one, although it was actually very important." (hina) rml